Local parish celebrates Pope John Paul II's rise to Sainthood

In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis, right, embraces his predecessor Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, during a ceremony in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 27, 2014. Pope Francis has declared his two predecessors John XXIII and John Paul II saints in an unprecedented canonization ceremony made even more historic by the presence of retired Pope Benedict XVI. (AP Photo/L' Osservatore Romano, ho)

CHESTER — Parishioners at St. Hedwig Catholic Chapel were a little bleary-eyed during Sunday morning Mass, because some had awoken early to watch live coverage of the canonization of former popes John XXIII and John Paul II.

The largely Polish congregation was particularly excited at John Paul’s elevation to sainthood, as the former Karol Wojtyla was the first Polish man to become pontiff in 1978.

“It’s a great tribute to him and to us,” said Stan Zoltak after the 9:15 a.m. Mass celebrated by the Rev. Michael Rzonca.

Zoltak was up at 3:30 Sunday morning to watch the ceremony live from the Vatican.

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“He was a great man. He was adored not by millions of people, but by billions of people.”

John Paul II died in 2005 after 27 years as the head of the Roman Catholic Church, and his canonization process was fast-tracked by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, before his retirement in 2013. He and current Pope Francis celebrated the canonization ceremony together Sunday morning.

Dave Chominski, who serves as a eucharistic minister at St. Hedwig, said the parish community didn’t need sainthood to recognize the greatness of John Paul.

“We thought he was a living saint anyway,” Chominski said. “He was the people pope. He was open to everyone.”

Chominski said John Paul’s outreach to people of other faith’s was a hallmark of his tenure in Rome.

“He accepted all religions,” Chominski said.

Rzonca, pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Clifton Heights, said John Paul’s message was one of love for each other and God.

“I think the good thing is he was someone who lived in our time,” Rzonca said after Mass. “He was someone we all saw on television and heard on the radio. It gives us a sense of greater closeness with the lord.”

Among Polish Catholics, John Paul’s sainthood is a reason to celebrate.

“He was somebody great to us,” Rzonca said. “He was a role model to us for reaching out to people, especially the youth.”